cetanewz issue 003 dope version issue 003.pdf · today the benkelman beam test is still widely used...
TRANSCRIPT
As we end another earthworks season,
we move into a busy winter. In my experi-
ence and discussions with colleagues so
far, the predicted downturn in the econ-
omy has yet to have a significant impact
on the civil engineering testing industry.
This issue of CETANewZ is full of great
new developments in our industry. The
CETANZ committee continue to work
hard in their working groups for the bet-
terment of our industry.
The September 2008 conference is shap-
ing up with some excellent papers and
presentations already submitted. Claire
Laybourne and the Society Activities
working group are creating an excellent
event that I really hope you are able to
attend.
The Technical Issues working group are
ploughing their way through some key
areas of development. Jayden Ellis and
his team are shortly going to be kicking
off the National Proficiency Programme,
kindly sponsored on the first occasion by
Stevensons. This will become an impor-
tant part of our technical development
with IANZ providing us with technical in-
dependence. This will be available to all
CETANZ members.
I would like to encourage you to visit
the conference website
www.cetc2008.org.nz and view our
progress. Your attendance at this con-
ference will be considered as Contin-
ued Professional Development for your
application as a Registered Engineering
Technician or Technologist. Please
consider how your participation will
help your career, your company and
your industry for the future.
Paul Burton
From the Chair
Issue 003, May 2008
CETANewZ
In this issue...
• From the chair
• News from the groups
• Gear Focus -
Benkelman beam
• Test Focus -
History of Compaction Curves
• Laboratory Focus -
Downer EDI Works, Auckland
• Member Profiles
• Standard Alert!
The official newsletter of the Civil Engineering Testing association of NZ
ISSN 1178-5888
From the working groups...Society Activities
Page 2 CETANewZ
Registration and call for papers is now
open for CETC 08! Get in quick
How a New Zealand Standard is changed.
NZS 4407:1991, NZS 3111: 1986, NZS
4402: 1986 and NZS 3112:1986 are just
some of the many standards we as Labo-
ratory operators use every day. Some of
these standards are getting on in age
now, and sooner or later somebody
somewhere will need to look at updating
or changing some if not all. CETANZ will
be representing you as Laboratory pro-
fessionals in this process.
But how does it all work???
CETANZ contacted Mr. Cas Cinque, Senior
Project Manager for Standards New Zea-
land to get the full story.
Cas told me …….
Standards New Zealand is a not-for-profit
organisation which relies on two main
areas for revenues, sales of Standards
and funding from industry, government
departments, Crown entity, associations,
ministry etc. to manage the Standards
development process.
The funding basically covers the cost of
developing a Standard. The Standards are
drafted by technical expert volunteer
committees made up of individuals nomi-
nated by national organisations and asso-
ciations which have an interest in the
Standard being developed (regulators,
academic institutions etc.) Whenever a
committee is set up to amend or revise a
Standard we always seek a balanced
committee to ensure the final Standard is
considered good practice, independent,
and does not unfairly benefit any one
group, or product, or service, etc. The
process is consensus based.
Typically, it is industry or government
agencies that approach us to amend or
revise a Standard, and Standards New Zea-
land will then, through discussion with key
interested groups, create a proposal outlin-
ing the reasons and costs for the amend-
ment or revision. Often the amendment or
revision is jointly funded by a number of in-
terested parties, for example industry, regu-
lators and national associations.
The costs vary greatly, and are dependent
on the changes being proposed, a simple
quick amendment can cost $20,000 and take
6 months, and a full-blown
new Engineering Standard $500,000 and
take 5 years to do, the scope and costs are
agreed up front with the funders and this
forms part of the contract.
For a document to become a Standard there
is a straight forward process that needs to
be followed to meet the obligations under
the Standards Act. The key being a balanced
committee, a draft being available for public
comment (period 8 weeks), committee mem-
bers being balloted and consensus to publish
(80% positive votes).
Recently, Amendment 2 of NZS 3112 cost
the Cement and Concrete Association of
New Zealand (CCANZ) $ 7,000.00; NZS 3101
cost $150,000 and took five years to com-
plete.
So who’s doing what? The fastest way to
find out, if you’re not already a member of
Standards, is to visit their web site
www.standards.co.nz and click on the
“Public Comment” Tab. Here you can
download the draft version for an 8 week
period and submit your comments.
What part will CETANZ play? The CETANZ
Technical Group will endeavour to represent
our Civil Engineering Industry by making
comment on Draft Standards, and by seek-
ing a place, or representation, on some of
the committees.
From the working groups...Technical
Page 3 Issue 003, May 2008
“Recently,
Amendment 2
of NZS 3112
cost the
Cement and
Concrete
Association of
New Zealand
(CCANZ)
$ 7,000.00;
NZS 3101 cost
$150,000 and
took five
years to
complete.”
Page 4 CETANewZ
We will keep you informed about develop-
ment of standards of interest and any activi-
ties that CETANZ are a part of, that may re-
sult in standard amendment …i.e. The NZ
Vibrating Hammer method review.
We will also be running a section called
Standard Alert ! ….which will help keep you
in the picture.
Words by Jayden Ellis, CETANZ Technical
Group
And Thanks to
Cas Cinque, Senior Project Manager, and
Michelle Wessing the General Manager of
Standards Development.
Benkelman Beam Testing
By Steven Anderson, Geotechnics
Most testing people are familiar with the Ben-
kelman Beam test for measuring pavement
deflection under an 8.2 tonne, single axle, dual
tyre truck. This familiarity extends to custom-
ers who ring up for a “Beam Test” and the guys
doing the testing who refer to it as “Old Ben-
kie” - in some cases “Old Benkie” is really old
and made of wood. Today the Benkelman
Beam test is still widely used and has not
changed significantly in all of these years
The Benkelman Beam test was originally devel-
oped in the United States at the Western Asso-
ciation of State Highway Organisations
(WASHO) Road Test in 1952.
It was developed by Alvin Carlton “Benk” Ben-
kelman Sr., he was of the old school of re-
searchers who relied on empirical and personal
observations. Benk was a Chemical Engineer-
ing graduate of the University of Michigan, he
first worked for the Illinois and Michigan High-
way Departments as a research engineer. Then
from 1934-1954 he worked for the U.S. Bureau
of Public Roads in charge of structural design
of flexible pavement. Benk went on to work
for the American Association of State Highway
Officials (AASHO) which became AASHTO.
A.C. " Benk" Benkelman
He was a man of the pavements and liked
to personally walk and make observations
of the pavement while thinking about what
was going on within the pavement – he
was born in May 1895 and died in Septem-
ber 1987.
Benkelman Beam Proficiency Test
We are organising a proficiency test for the
Benkelman Beam test in Auckland in the
next couple of months. Apologies to those
out of Auckland, but if there are members
in other centres who want to co-ordinate a
similar proficiency round please contact the
Technical Working Group.
Beam me up Scottie!
“It was developed
by Alvin Carlton
“Benk”
Benkelman Sr., he
was of the old
school of
researchers who
relied on empirical
and personal
observations.”
Page 5 Issue 003, May 2008
Page 6 CETANewZ
In this new section for CETANewZ we will be
trying to answer those annoying questions that
we all have about working in our industry.
Things like “what’s California got to do with
Bearing Ratios” and “Do Proctologists actually
generate Proctor Curves” or even “How many
babies does it really take to make one drop of
baby oil?”
In this issue…. The History of Compaction
Curves
The Proctor compaction test and the related
modified Proctor compaction test, named for
engineer Ralph R. Proctor (1933), are tests to
determine the maximum practically-achievable
density of soils and aggregates, and are fre-
quently used in geotechnical engineering.
The test consists of compacting the soil or ag-
gregate to be tested into a standard mold us-
ing a standardized compactive energy at sev-
eral different levels of moisture content. The
maximum dry density and optimum moisture
content is determined from the results of the
test.
Soil in place is tested for in-place dry bulk den-
sity, and the result is divided by the maximum
dry density to obtain a relative compaction for
the soil in place.
History and Origin
Proctor's fascination with geotechnical engi-
neering began when taking his undergraduate
studies at University of Berkeley California. He
was interested in the publications of Sir Alec
Skempton and his ideas on in situ behavior of
natural clays. Skempton formulated concepts
and porous water coefficients that are still
widely used today. It was Proctor’s idea to take
this concept a step further and formulate his
own experimental conclusions to determine a
solution for the in situ behaviors of clay and
ground soils that cause it to be unsuitable for
construction. His idea, which was later
Test Focus - Compaction Curves
“Did you know…”
In NZ it is common
for Proctor tests to
be done in one of
three ways, NZ
Standard, NZ
Heavy, and NZ
Vibrating Hammer.
The last one being
the cause of many
headaches for our
industry!!!
Page 7 Issue 003, May 2008
adopted and expounded upon by Skemp-
ton, involved the compaction of the soil
to establish the maximum practically-
achievable density of soils and aggre-
gates (the “practically” stresses how the
value is found experimentally and not
theoretically).
In the early 1930’s, he finally created a
solution for determining the maximum
density of soils. He found that in a con-
trolled environment (or within a control
volume), the soil could be compacted to
the point where the air could be com-
pletely removed, simulating the affects of
a soil in situ conditions. From this, the dry
density could be determined by simply
measuring the weight of the soil before
and after compaction, calculating the
moisture content, and furthermore calcu-
lating the dry density. Ralph R. Proctor
went on to teach at the University of Ar-
kansas.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Proctor_compaction_test
Page 8 CETANewZ
Laboratory Focus
Page 9 Issue 003, May 2008
The Hon Judith Tizard, MP for Auckland Central and
Associate Minister for Transport, paid a visit to
Downer EDi’s Auckland Laboratory on the 26th May
2008. Ms Tizard was visiting the Downer Edi Asphalt
Production site in Penrose to talk to staff and to see
some aspects of the ‘business end’ of the roading
industry.
During her busy schedule Ms Tizard took the
opportunity to visit Downers recently relocated laboratory at the Great South
Road site, where it operates as an
independent accredited business, supporting
internal and external clients in the Civil and
Roading industry.
Phil Archer (Laboratory Section Head) said Ms
Tizard chatted with laboratory staff on a range
of topics such as: Technical testing standards,
training and the role of technical support
within an organization such as Downer EDi.
One broader issue discussed with the technical staff was the benefit gained
from looking at whole life costs on projects against solely focusing on initial
outlay, thus ensuring longer term quality and durability. From our
perspective in the Civil Engineering Testing industry this ties in with our
promotion of the importance of factoring in good quality testing / technical
support and the role it can play in delivering those outcomes.
The laboratory staff enjoyed Ms Tizard’s real interest and knowledge on the
service they provide to businesses and projects within the industry, which
can all too often be overshadowed by the ‘bigger picture’.
Words by Howard Jeffery-Wright, Downer EDI Works, Auckland
If you would like to let the industry know of whats been happening in your
lab, flick us an email at [email protected]
Page 10 CETANewZ
Member Profiles
Another new section for CETANewZ. Every issue will feature an
interview with one of the associations members.
This issue….Frank Hu from Holcim
What is your current position, who do you work for and
briefly describe your role?
My current position is Laboratory Manager, Construc-
tion Material Testing Laboratory for Holcim Concrete
and Aggregates. My role is to oversee the laboratory
operation on a day to day basis. Our laboratory is in-
volved in aggregates, soils, concrete and environ-
mental testing. We are an IANZ registered laboratory
with over 40 sampling and testing methods accredited
under laboratory's scope of accreditation in concrete
and aggregate area. We also perform tests on number
of test methods that have not been registered.
How do you see CETANZ benefiting your business?
I believe that CETANZ provides a platform for civil
laboratories to interact to each other. It can be where
people in the field share their knowledge, solve their
problems and move forward together.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
When not working, I enjoy to watch Rugby, both
Rugby League and Rugby Union. My favourite teams
are Auckland, Blues and Warriors. But I do watch the
games between anybody and anybody. I support
Chiefs and Hurricanes when they don't play Blues.
If you could visit just one country in the world
where would it be and briefly why?
I'd go to France if I can choose. France has so much
cultural and historic stuff and French are so romantic -
just look at their president. Actually Britain and Italy
are among my favourite countries as well for similar
reasons. But I guess English are less romantic.
If you could invite 3 people to dinner (dead or alive)
who would they be and briefly why?
I'll invite my parents and my sister because I have left
my home country for 13 years and it is my sister who
looks after them. I always feel guilty that I couldn't be
around when they need me
Standard Alert!
Want more info ….. go to
www.standards.co.nz and click on
the “Public Comment” Tab. Here
you can download the draft version
for an 8 week period and submit
your comments.
Page 11 Issue 003, May 2008
This new addition to the CETANZ newsletter
is here to keep you up-to-date with any NZ
or joint AS/NZ standards that are under re-
view.
We will keep you informed of any CETANZ
work in this area and help represent the
Civil Engineering Testing Industry at com-
mittee level where possible.
DR08044: Amendment 2 to AS/NZS 4456.4
Masonry Units, Segmental Pavers and Flags
– Methods of Test Part 4: Determination of
Compression Strength.
DR08045: Amendment 2 to AS/NZS 4456.5
Masonry Units, Segmental Pavers and Flags
– Methods of Test Part 5: Determination of
Breaking Load of Segmental Pavers
DR08046: Amendment 2 to AS/NZS 4456.9
Masonry Units, Segmental Pavers and Flags
– Methods of Test Part 9: Determination of
Abrasion Resistance.
DR08047: Amendment 2 to AS/NZS 4456.10
Masonry Units, Segmental Pavers and Flags
– Methods of Test Part 10: Determination of
Resistance to Salt Attack.
DR08048: Amendment 2 to AS/NZS 4456.14
Masonry Units, Segmental Pavers and Flags
– Methods of Test Part 14: Determination of
Water Absorption Properties
These drafts are out for public comment
now, and the final date for submission is the
10th
of April. All are small corrections to
wording and instructions…. The most seri-
ous being the change to capping procedure
for compression test part 4. Some of you
may already be doing this as part of your
normal routine.
DR08025: Safety in Laboratories Part 9: Re-
circulating fume cabinets (Revision of AS/
NZS 2243.9)
This draft is aimed more at manufactures of
cabinets, but there is plenty of information
and safety tips for those of you who own
and operate … so check it out.
From the Editor… CETANewZ is the voice for our industry. If you would like to con-tribute in any way to this publication by way of adverts or articles - drop us a line at [email protected]
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